Welcome to DU!
The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards.
Join the community:
Create a free account
Support DU (and get rid of ads!):
Become a Star Member
Latest Breaking News
General Discussion
The DU Lounge
All Forums
Issue Forums
Culture Forums
Alliance Forums
Region Forums
Support Forums
Help & Search
WillyT
WillyT's Journal
WillyT's Journal
December 13, 2013
From: http://sync.democraticunderground.com/10024157976
Wow... Posted This Part Earlier... Came Back To Hit Me Like A Ton Of Bricks...
I know Obama's first activism came because of Mandela and Apartheid... but the implications here are profound.
What we in America dont really fully appreciate, I think, is not just that he was elected president and what a great victory it all was, but the tremendous pressure South Africa was under from white capital, from American business, to try to restrain the reforms that they wanted to put in place. And that led to a kind of neoliberalism, which is in effect in South Africa, which has limited their ability to fight poverty, limited their ability to deal with a lot of issues, which has led to the kind of corruption that weve seen in many other places in the world.
From: http://sync.democraticunderground.com/10024157976
December 13, 2013
From: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/dec/05/state-conservative-groups-assault-education-health-tax
Well Lookee Here... Guess Who ALEC Thinks Will Help Them Screw Pensioners...
The proposal from the Illinois Policy Institute for a campaign to deal with Chicago's government worker pensions crisis by switching to 401(k)-style retirement plans similarly focuses on a politician in this case Mayor Rahm Emanuel. The proposal says that "Mayor Emanuel has privately expressed the need for 401(k)-style changes to truly achieve reform."
The institute plans to "leverage the leadership potential of Mayor Emanuel as the spark for wider pension changes in Illinois." It adds that "friendly legislators would be welcome to draft legislation modelled on our policy work and work in tandem with Mayor Emanuel to move it forward in the legislative process."
John Tillman, CEO of the Illinois Policy Institute, told the Guardian that Emanuel had been "an outspoken proponent of pension reform that includes moving to a 401(k)-style, defined contribution system." He saw no problem with the lobbying that the think tank undertakes.
The institute plans to "leverage the leadership potential of Mayor Emanuel as the spark for wider pension changes in Illinois." It adds that "friendly legislators would be welcome to draft legislation modelled on our policy work and work in tandem with Mayor Emanuel to move it forward in the legislative process."
John Tillman, CEO of the Illinois Policy Institute, told the Guardian that Emanuel had been "an outspoken proponent of pension reform that includes moving to a 401(k)-style, defined contribution system." He saw no problem with the lobbying that the think tank undertakes.
From: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/dec/05/state-conservative-groups-assault-education-health-tax
December 12, 2013
Video & Transcript Here: http://www.democracynow.org/2013/12/11/alecs_institutional_corruption_from_backing_apartheid
Wow... Did You Know That ALEC Was Pushing Against Divestment In South Africa Back In The 80's ???
NERMEEN SHAIKH: The secretive American Legislative Exchange Council, known as ALEC, has just ended a week-long meeting in Washington where corporate lobbyists worked with state lawmakers on model bills that will later be introduced in states nationwide. ALEC has reportedly drafted a number of new bills designed to prevent President Obama from cutting emissions, and to weaken state policies promoting clean energy. Another measure would charge homeowners fees for installing their own solar panels. This follows ALECs sponsoring of at least 77 energy measures in 34 states last year.
Meanwhile, The Guardian reports new documents reveal ALEC is struggling to re-enlist donors after an exodus prompted by its backing of Floridas "Stand Your Ground" law. Stand Your Ground initially helped shield George Zimmerman from prosecution for killing Trayvon Martin and was later used in instructions to the jury that acquitted him. According to The Guardian, ALEC has lost nearly 400 state legislators from its network over the past two years and more than 60 major corporate donors. The group is facing a funding shortfall for the first time after losing more than a third of its projected income.
AMY GOODMAN: Now conservative groups across the United States are apparently planning a coordinated effort in six states to raise money for attacks on public sector rights and services in the key areas of education, healthcare, income tax and workers compensation. The proposals were coordinated by the State Policy Network, an alliance of groups that act as incubators of conservative strategy at the state level. In just one example, a proposal from the Illinois Policy Institute outlines a campaign to switch Chicagos government worker pensions to 401(k)-style retirement plans. A copy of the plan published by The Guardian shows the institute wants to, quote, "leverage the leadership potential of Mayor [Rahm] Emanuel ... as the spark for wider pension changes."
For more, we go to Washington, where were joined by Lisa Graves, executive director of the Center for Media and Democracy and publisher of PRWatch.org and ALECExposed.org. Last week, their work featured in a several reports by The Guardian. On Monday, they jointly published another story, "Shilling for Profit: A Case Study of ALECs Campaign Against Divestment from Apartheid South Africa." Well talk about that in a minute.
Lisa Graves, welcome back to Democracy Now! Talk about your most significant findings in your most recent report.
LISA GRAVES: Well, I think that the report we did jointly with the People for the American Way organization was the product of a long-standing piece of research we were doing, because this is ALECs 40th year, and we thought they ought to be held accountable for all 40 years. What we had discovered in our lengthy research was that ALEC was one of the major movers in the effort to stop the United States from divesting from South Africa and to thwart those policies. And so, we recently published a piece that really goes into detail about how influential ALEC was in pushing the Reagan administration and officials in the Reagan administration to try to thwart efforts to divest from South Africa. Its quite astounding.
Meanwhile, The Guardian reports new documents reveal ALEC is struggling to re-enlist donors after an exodus prompted by its backing of Floridas "Stand Your Ground" law. Stand Your Ground initially helped shield George Zimmerman from prosecution for killing Trayvon Martin and was later used in instructions to the jury that acquitted him. According to The Guardian, ALEC has lost nearly 400 state legislators from its network over the past two years and more than 60 major corporate donors. The group is facing a funding shortfall for the first time after losing more than a third of its projected income.
AMY GOODMAN: Now conservative groups across the United States are apparently planning a coordinated effort in six states to raise money for attacks on public sector rights and services in the key areas of education, healthcare, income tax and workers compensation. The proposals were coordinated by the State Policy Network, an alliance of groups that act as incubators of conservative strategy at the state level. In just one example, a proposal from the Illinois Policy Institute outlines a campaign to switch Chicagos government worker pensions to 401(k)-style retirement plans. A copy of the plan published by The Guardian shows the institute wants to, quote, "leverage the leadership potential of Mayor [Rahm] Emanuel ... as the spark for wider pension changes."
For more, we go to Washington, where were joined by Lisa Graves, executive director of the Center for Media and Democracy and publisher of PRWatch.org and ALECExposed.org. Last week, their work featured in a several reports by The Guardian. On Monday, they jointly published another story, "Shilling for Profit: A Case Study of ALECs Campaign Against Divestment from Apartheid South Africa." Well talk about that in a minute.
Lisa Graves, welcome back to Democracy Now! Talk about your most significant findings in your most recent report.
LISA GRAVES: Well, I think that the report we did jointly with the People for the American Way organization was the product of a long-standing piece of research we were doing, because this is ALECs 40th year, and we thought they ought to be held accountable for all 40 years. What we had discovered in our lengthy research was that ALEC was one of the major movers in the effort to stop the United States from divesting from South Africa and to thwart those policies. And so, we recently published a piece that really goes into detail about how influential ALEC was in pushing the Reagan administration and officials in the Reagan administration to try to thwart efforts to divest from South Africa. Its quite astounding.
Video & Transcript Here: http://www.democracynow.org/2013/12/11/alecs_institutional_corruption_from_backing_apartheid
December 12, 2013
From: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/11/world/europe/kerrys-statement-on-ukraine.html?_r=0
Occupy... I Wonder If Secretary Kerry Even Gets The Irony Here...
The United States expresses its disgust with the decision of Ukrainian authorities to meet the peaceful protest in Kyivs Maidan Square with riot police, bulldozers, and batons, rather than with respect for democratic rights and human dignity. This response is neither acceptable nor does it befit a democracy.
From: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/11/world/europe/kerrys-statement-on-ukraine.html?_r=0
December 12, 2013
by Egberto Willies - DailyKos
Wed Dec 11, 2013 at 07:17 PM PST.
<snip>
Rachel Maddow picked up a story that has been prominent on DailyKOS for several weeks. She used the charts developed at DailyKOS to describe Third Way. Third Way is a Wall Street funded think tank that is purported to be Democratic.
Here is the list of pertinent blog posts to review.
1.Corporate 'Dems': cutting Social Security is path to electoral victory
2.Chuck Schumer wants us to stop picking on Wall Street
3.Huh, so it IS a coordinated Wall Street Democrat campaign
4.How I failed Beltway 101 taught by Ron Fournier
5.Daily Kos will not enable those who enable Third Way
Stay tuned.
<snip>
Video & Links Here: http://www.dailykos.com/story/2013/12/11/1262086/-Rachel-Maddow-picks-up-DailyKOS-Third-Way-story
Rachel Maddow Picks Up DailyKOS Third Way Story - DailyKos
Rachel Maddow picks up DailyKOS Third Way storyby Egberto Willies - DailyKos
Wed Dec 11, 2013 at 07:17 PM PST.
<snip>
Rachel Maddow picked up a story that has been prominent on DailyKOS for several weeks. She used the charts developed at DailyKOS to describe Third Way. Third Way is a Wall Street funded think tank that is purported to be Democratic.
Here is the list of pertinent blog posts to review.
1.Corporate 'Dems': cutting Social Security is path to electoral victory
2.Chuck Schumer wants us to stop picking on Wall Street
3.Huh, so it IS a coordinated Wall Street Democrat campaign
4.How I failed Beltway 101 taught by Ron Fournier
5.Daily Kos will not enable those who enable Third Way
Stay tuned.
<snip>
Video & Links Here: http://www.dailykos.com/story/2013/12/11/1262086/-Rachel-Maddow-picks-up-DailyKOS-Third-Way-story
December 12, 2013
Simple Question: Do YOU Believe We Currrently Have A "Representative" Government ???
I say, no.
December 12, 2013
By: solartopia - FDL
Wednesday December 11, 2013 6:25 pm
<snip>
Fukushima continues to spew out radiation. The quantities seem to be rising, as do the impacts. The site has been infiltrated by organized crime. There are horrifying signs of ecological disaster in the Pacific and human health impacts in the U.S.
But within Japan, a new State Secrets Act makes such talk punishable by up to ten years in prison.
Taro Yamamoto, a Japanese legislator, says the law represents a coup detat leading to the recreation of a fascist state. The powerful Asahi Shimbun newspaper compares it to conspiracy laws passed by totalitarian Japan in the lead-up to Pearl Harbor, and warns it could end independent reporting on Fukushima.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has been leading Japan in an increasingly militaristic direction. Tensions have increased with China. Massive demonstrations have been renounced with talk of treason.
But its Fukushima that hangs most heavily over the nation and the world. Tokyo Electric Power has begun the bring-down of hot fuel rods suspended high in the air over the heavily damaged Unit Four. The first assemblies it removed may have contained unused rods. The second may have been extremely radioactive.
But Tepco has clamped down on media coverage and complains about news helicopters filming the fuel rod removal.
Under the new State Secrets Act...
<snip>
More: http://my.firedoglake.com/solartopia/2013/12/11/japans-deadly-new-fukushima-fascism/
Wow... Where Have I Seen THIS Before... WE MIGHT KILL YOU, But You Can't Talk About It...
Japans Deadly New Fukushima FascismBy: solartopia - FDL
Wednesday December 11, 2013 6:25 pm
<snip>
Fukushima continues to spew out radiation. The quantities seem to be rising, as do the impacts. The site has been infiltrated by organized crime. There are horrifying signs of ecological disaster in the Pacific and human health impacts in the U.S.
But within Japan, a new State Secrets Act makes such talk punishable by up to ten years in prison.
Taro Yamamoto, a Japanese legislator, says the law represents a coup detat leading to the recreation of a fascist state. The powerful Asahi Shimbun newspaper compares it to conspiracy laws passed by totalitarian Japan in the lead-up to Pearl Harbor, and warns it could end independent reporting on Fukushima.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has been leading Japan in an increasingly militaristic direction. Tensions have increased with China. Massive demonstrations have been renounced with talk of treason.
But its Fukushima that hangs most heavily over the nation and the world. Tokyo Electric Power has begun the bring-down of hot fuel rods suspended high in the air over the heavily damaged Unit Four. The first assemblies it removed may have contained unused rods. The second may have been extremely radioactive.
But Tepco has clamped down on media coverage and complains about news helicopters filming the fuel rod removal.
Under the new State Secrets Act...
<snip>
More: http://my.firedoglake.com/solartopia/2013/12/11/japans-deadly-new-fukushima-fascism/
December 12, 2013
From: http://www.democracynow.org/2013/12/9/seymour_hersh_obama_cherry_picked_intelligence
Interesting Nuggets Of Information From Sy Hersch... On Snowden... The Media... Etc...
AMY GOODMAN: Why did the piece appear in the London Review of Books and not in your traditional place where you publish, in The New Yorker or, as it was expected to appear, in The Washington Post, with Executive Editor Marty Baron saying the sourcing in the article didnt meet the _Post_s standards?
SEYMOUR HERSH: Well, thats what he told me in anor one of his editors said in an email, after the story, when it had been, I thought, scheduled to run for a few weeks, wasand, you know, heslook, hes the boss. Hes a rational, good editor, and hes entitled to say it didnt meetthe information I got is that it didnt meet the standards of The Washington Post. And I respect that. Hes no fool, you know, and I dont know the guy, but everything I heard about him is that hes a very competent editor. I know people that worked with him when he was that the L.A. Times, which he was. And so, I dont begrudge an editor to say what he wants. You know, look, people like me, we really wear out welcomes very quickly. You know, sometimes you get tired of reporters coming in and saying, you know, the sky is always black, and its not sunny. And thats what we do. So, investigative reporters, we have a very short shelf life. You know, were the Bad News Bears.
AMY GOODMAN: Talk about the information that came out of the documents that NSA contractor Edward Snowden released and how they bear on this, Sy.
SEYMOUR HERSH: Well, thats why I went to the Post. Snowden gaveyou know, Snowdenby the way, the Post, youve got to admire the Post for publishing Snowden, too, a mainstream press newspaper doing it, obviously getting heat from the White House. One of the documents Snowden gave that ended up being in The Washington Post's hands was sort of an annual budget request by the intelligence community, and it included information about the National Security Agency, a much, very much higher document than top-secret, etc., etc. And there was a section of itthe Post ran only a dozen or twoless than that, maybe 17, 18 pages of the document. The rest they withheld at the request of the government, which is their right. Andbut in the story, a summary story, they mentioned two things that made me thinkthat really woke me up. They mentioned the sensor system. And I had known about the sensor system from people inside. And as I mentioned earlier, it's difficult, because passive sensors are something that, as a journalist, Im glad we have. Passive, nobodys hurt. We collect information that we can make judgments on.
AMY GOODMAN: These are run by the National Reconnaissance Office.
SEYMOUR HERSH: Yes, and the National Security Agency, too, runs a lot of them. And presumably, theyre not to be tampered with, the findings. This administration tampered, is one of the points of the article in the London Review of Books, was that they tampered with something they shouldnt tamper with, a system that should be taken very seriously. But that article in The Washington Post mentioned the sensor system.
And it also mentioned something else...
SEYMOUR HERSH: Well, thats what he told me in anor one of his editors said in an email, after the story, when it had been, I thought, scheduled to run for a few weeks, wasand, you know, heslook, hes the boss. Hes a rational, good editor, and hes entitled to say it didnt meetthe information I got is that it didnt meet the standards of The Washington Post. And I respect that. Hes no fool, you know, and I dont know the guy, but everything I heard about him is that hes a very competent editor. I know people that worked with him when he was that the L.A. Times, which he was. And so, I dont begrudge an editor to say what he wants. You know, look, people like me, we really wear out welcomes very quickly. You know, sometimes you get tired of reporters coming in and saying, you know, the sky is always black, and its not sunny. And thats what we do. So, investigative reporters, we have a very short shelf life. You know, were the Bad News Bears.
AMY GOODMAN: Talk about the information that came out of the documents that NSA contractor Edward Snowden released and how they bear on this, Sy.
SEYMOUR HERSH: Well, thats why I went to the Post. Snowden gaveyou know, Snowdenby the way, the Post, youve got to admire the Post for publishing Snowden, too, a mainstream press newspaper doing it, obviously getting heat from the White House. One of the documents Snowden gave that ended up being in The Washington Post's hands was sort of an annual budget request by the intelligence community, and it included information about the National Security Agency, a much, very much higher document than top-secret, etc., etc. And there was a section of itthe Post ran only a dozen or twoless than that, maybe 17, 18 pages of the document. The rest they withheld at the request of the government, which is their right. Andbut in the story, a summary story, they mentioned two things that made me thinkthat really woke me up. They mentioned the sensor system. And I had known about the sensor system from people inside. And as I mentioned earlier, it's difficult, because passive sensors are something that, as a journalist, Im glad we have. Passive, nobodys hurt. We collect information that we can make judgments on.
AMY GOODMAN: These are run by the National Reconnaissance Office.
SEYMOUR HERSH: Yes, and the National Security Agency, too, runs a lot of them. And presumably, theyre not to be tampered with, the findings. This administration tampered, is one of the points of the article in the London Review of Books, was that they tampered with something they shouldnt tamper with, a system that should be taken very seriously. But that article in The Washington Post mentioned the sensor system.
And it also mentioned something else...
From: http://www.democracynow.org/2013/12/9/seymour_hersh_obama_cherry_picked_intelligence
December 11, 2013
By Ron Cowen - Nature?HuffPo
Posted: 12/11/2013 5:38 pm EST
<snip>
A team of physicists has provided some of the clearest evidence yet that our Universe could be just one big projection.
In 1997, theoretical physicist Juan Maldacena proposed that an audacious model of the Universe in which gravity arises from infinitesimally thin, vibrating strings could be reinterpreted in terms of well-established physics. The mathematically intricate world of strings, which exist in nine dimensions of space plus one of time, would be merely a hologram: the real action would play out in a simpler, flatter cosmos where there is no gravity.
Maldacena's idea thrilled physicists because it offered a way to put the popular but still unproven theory of strings on solid footing and because it solved apparent inconsistencies between quantum physics and Einstein's theory of gravity. It provided physicists with a mathematical Rosetta stone, a 'duality', that allowed them to translate back and forth between the two languages, and solve problems in one model that seemed intractable in the other and vice versa. But although the validity of Maldacena's ideas has pretty much been taken for granted ever since, a rigorous proof has been elusive.
In two papers posted on the arXiv repository, Yoshifumi Hyakutake of Ibaraki University in Japan and his colleagues now provide, if not an actual proof, at least compelling evidence that Maldacenas conjecture is true.
In one paper, Hyakutake computes the internal energy of a black hole, the position of its event horizon (the boundary between the black hole and the rest of the Universe), its entropy and other properties based on the predictions of string theory as well as the effects of so-called virtual particles that continuously pop into and out of existence. In the other, he and his collaborators calculate the internal energy of the corresponding lower-dimensional cosmos with no gravity. The two computer calculations match.
It seems to be a correct computation, says Maldacena, who is now at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, New Jersey and who did not contribute to the team's work.
<snip>
More: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/12/11/universe-hologram-physicists_n_4428359.html
Is The Universe A Hologram? Physicists Say It's Possible - Nature/HuffPo
Is The Universe A Hologram? Physicists Say It's PossibleBy Ron Cowen - Nature?HuffPo
Posted: 12/11/2013 5:38 pm EST
<snip>
A team of physicists has provided some of the clearest evidence yet that our Universe could be just one big projection.
In 1997, theoretical physicist Juan Maldacena proposed that an audacious model of the Universe in which gravity arises from infinitesimally thin, vibrating strings could be reinterpreted in terms of well-established physics. The mathematically intricate world of strings, which exist in nine dimensions of space plus one of time, would be merely a hologram: the real action would play out in a simpler, flatter cosmos where there is no gravity.
Maldacena's idea thrilled physicists because it offered a way to put the popular but still unproven theory of strings on solid footing and because it solved apparent inconsistencies between quantum physics and Einstein's theory of gravity. It provided physicists with a mathematical Rosetta stone, a 'duality', that allowed them to translate back and forth between the two languages, and solve problems in one model that seemed intractable in the other and vice versa. But although the validity of Maldacena's ideas has pretty much been taken for granted ever since, a rigorous proof has been elusive.
In two papers posted on the arXiv repository, Yoshifumi Hyakutake of Ibaraki University in Japan and his colleagues now provide, if not an actual proof, at least compelling evidence that Maldacenas conjecture is true.
In one paper, Hyakutake computes the internal energy of a black hole, the position of its event horizon (the boundary between the black hole and the rest of the Universe), its entropy and other properties based on the predictions of string theory as well as the effects of so-called virtual particles that continuously pop into and out of existence. In the other, he and his collaborators calculate the internal energy of the corresponding lower-dimensional cosmos with no gravity. The two computer calculations match.
It seems to be a correct computation, says Maldacena, who is now at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, New Jersey and who did not contribute to the team's work.
<snip>
More: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/12/11/universe-hologram-physicists_n_4428359.html
December 11, 2013
By Malena Castaldi and Felipe Llambias, Reuters/MSNBC
12/10/13
<snip>
Uruguay became the first country to legalize the growing, sale and smoking of marijuana on Tuesday, a pioneering social experiment that will be closely watched by other nations debating drug liberalization.
A government-sponsored bill approved by 16-13 votes in the Senate provides for regulation of the cultivation, distribution and consumption of marijuana and is aimed at wresting the business from criminals in the small South American nation.
Backers of the law, some smoking joints, gathered near Congress holding green balloons, Jamaican flags in homage to Bob Marley and a sign saying: "Cultivating freedom, Uruguay grows."
Cannabis consumers will be able to buy a maximum of 40 grams (1.4 ounces) each month from licensed pharmacies as long as they are Uruguayan residents over the age of 18 and registered on a government database that will monitor their monthly purchases.
When the law is implemented in 120 days, Uruguayans will be able to grow six marijuana plants in their homes a year, or as much as 480 grams (about 17 ounces), and form smoking clubs of 15 to 45 members that can grow up to 99 plants per year.
Registered drug users should be able to start buying marijuana over the counter from licensed pharmacies in April.
<snip>
Link: http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/12/10/21852934-uruguay-becomes-first-country-to-legalize-marijuana-trade
Uruguay Becomes First Country To Legalize Marijuana Trade - Reuters/MSNBC
Uruguay becomes first country to legalize marijuana tradeBy Malena Castaldi and Felipe Llambias, Reuters/MSNBC
12/10/13
<snip>
Uruguay became the first country to legalize the growing, sale and smoking of marijuana on Tuesday, a pioneering social experiment that will be closely watched by other nations debating drug liberalization.
A government-sponsored bill approved by 16-13 votes in the Senate provides for regulation of the cultivation, distribution and consumption of marijuana and is aimed at wresting the business from criminals in the small South American nation.
Backers of the law, some smoking joints, gathered near Congress holding green balloons, Jamaican flags in homage to Bob Marley and a sign saying: "Cultivating freedom, Uruguay grows."
Cannabis consumers will be able to buy a maximum of 40 grams (1.4 ounces) each month from licensed pharmacies as long as they are Uruguayan residents over the age of 18 and registered on a government database that will monitor their monthly purchases.
When the law is implemented in 120 days, Uruguayans will be able to grow six marijuana plants in their homes a year, or as much as 480 grams (about 17 ounces), and form smoking clubs of 15 to 45 members that can grow up to 99 plants per year.
Registered drug users should be able to start buying marijuana over the counter from licensed pharmacies in April.
<snip>
Link: http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/12/10/21852934-uruguay-becomes-first-country-to-legalize-marijuana-trade
Profile Information
Member since: 2002Number of posts: 72,631